Checkered Skies of Red & Grey
by Stormy Why
Summary: Knuckles finds himself on yet another journey involving Team Chaotix. Only this time things get a little more complicated when priorities and friendships are put on the line. Contains nice bits of humor and adventure after the first chapter. R/R
1. Just Another Day

Authors Note: Starts a little slow, but there are many chapters to this story. I might just post the first two or three and then more if anyone shows any interest in it. Constructive criticism/Reviews are very welcomed.

Side Note: All characters in this story are owned by Sega.

**Checkered Skies of Red & Grey**

Chapter 1: Just Another Day

A piercing cold, yet heavenly calm silence filled the air.

It was the first sign of peace that had gotten the chance to break through the long monotonous chatter of the previous three hours.

A seemingly thankful reprieve for two weary travelers who had no more to speak of than what had already been said.

The ocean was far but could still be heard in the distance as a misty fog softened overhead. Small bits of clouded sunlight, heavenly seeping through the taller trees above.

"...What did I do to deserve all of this?" The gruff, yet mellow, male voice whispered.

He was speaking to himself. Something he used to do very often, sitting on that lonely Angel Island, guarding that precious Emerald.

However, the Master Emerald was not on that island at the moment and nor was he. No, at the moment he seemed to be walking through an unfamiliar vibrant spring-green forest.

Not alone though.

Far behind him trailed an unlikely character.

One by the name of Charmy Bee.

Indeed it was true, Knuckles the Echidna was off on some kind of adventure with Charmy Bee, of the Team Chaotix Detective Agency.

This wasn't the first time they teamed up but it was still quite an odd pair of friends to be going on an adventure together, being such opposites personality wise, though their friendship was not as odd as the silence that now hung over them.

Fluttering in the air whilst holding back tears, Charmy stared at the ground before him, ready to burst out crying once more.

Knuckles tried his best to ignore the sniffling in the distance.

The most he was comfortable hearing was the sound of his metal padded shoes scrunching harshly on the crisp green grass, all while causing his footprints to be marked in the soil beneath.

The two had walked like this for about half an hour now but after another ten minutes passed the red Echidna stopped cold in his trail. He seemed to be contemplating while he waited for the small bee to catch up.

Then with a soft sigh the words finally broke free, though not without a slight air of annoyance in his tone, "...Hey. Don't-...Don't cry. Okay?"

A long quiet minute passed by.

Then a peculiar sour look overcame the echidna as he tried to speak his next words, "I...I'm...," It was almost painful for him to say, let a lone for anyone else to hear him force...an apology. "I'm... S-Sorry... Okay!" He turned to face Charmy, who was far enough behind that Knuckles had to question if his friend had even heard what he had strained to say.

He just barely caught a glimpse of the small honey bee rubbing his still tear filled eyes before he let out another sigh.

Then, with a soft whisper Knuckles posed a question for himself, "How did I ever get myself into this mess?"


	2. Child's Song

_Authors Note: Knuckles isn't in this chapter :'( But he is in the next! Sorry if I didn't exactly get Team Chaotix perfectly in character but I did my best with what knowledge I have of them, feel free to help me correct that jumbled up knowledge at anytime! :) And I want to give a quick special thanks to Animanizanny for giving me my first review! Glad Knuckles was in character crossing my fingers for the Chaotix now! ^_^  
><em>

_Side Note: All characters in this story are owned by Sega._

Chapter 2: Child's Song

Although the beginning may not seem too cheery it was that very, as of yet unspoken, argument that seemed to shine a light on the two companions and their quest. Not to mention, it also isn't even the beginning.

It had all started four days earlier...

A warm and sunny spring had fallen upon the dawn. Fresh and beautiful. Vibrant and somewhat new.

Within an old shack in an _undisclosed location_ a fight had begun. Not as major fight or anything, just words.

Simple, _annoying _little words.

"Yeah well, your a stupid headed dummy!" Called out a high and slightly squeaky voice. That of a small bee.

"WILL YOU JUST SHUDDUP YA LITTLE-...Urrrrrrrrgh..." Another more rough and scrunchy tone echoed. The challenger was at a loss for words as he silenced his thoughts by the booming thrash of his large fists plunging into the desk before him. "Darn it Charmy!".

What had seemed to be an innocent argument had quickly escalated within mere minutes.

Charmy and Vector the crocodile had always been somewhat like brothers. Of course they cared for each other just about as much any other pair of brothers would. Which also in-titled them to somewhat commonly have even the smallest of disagreements over the silliest of things, be it a small tiff or... what seemed to be in this case, a true boiling point being reached on Vector's part.

"I told you that I wasn't the last one with that stupid paper Vector!"

"That stupid paper is very important and if we don't find it we could lose our business."

"I don't care, I didn't have it last. You probably lost it yourself." He crossed his arms.

"Are you callin' me a lier! 'Cause I know for a fact that you were the last one with it!"

"If it's so important than why would you give it to me?" The bee uncrossed his arms and flew over to an unopened bag of potato chips that sat on the floor. He tore the top as he squeezed it, the bag squeaking and crumbling the chips inside.

He quickly started munching on the salty snack with joyful indifference to how angry his friend had gotten.

"Charmy! You better-" He was interrupted by the old rickety wooden door opening. There stood Espio the Chameleon. The third and final member of the team. He was holding a slightly crumpled, watermark stained, bubbled gum tainted piece of paper.

His voice was low with a slight raspy tint to it, "Here Vector." He walked up to the crocodile and handed him the paper. "I got it signed by the Landlord." Vector stood there and stared at it for a minute or so.

Though he may not appear to be the brightest bulb in the socket, Vector was no fool when it came to their Detective Agency. However, at this point it was a complete mystery to him how he could have of misplaced this memory. "I-... Gave the paper... To Espio?" He whispered to himself in a dull stupor.

He sighed then scratched the back of his head, tossing the paper on his desk.

"Uhh... Charmy..." He turned to look at the bee who clearly had not even realized that Espio had entered the room. He was still munching on his chips and reading a comic labeled _**'Ristar: The Shooting Star Adventures'. **_

Vector rolled his eyes then passed it off that the bee had forgotten about the whole thing. He gave a shrug then took his seat again. Resting back and turning the volume up on his headphones with a soft chuckle.

It was then that he noticed Espio staring at him. No- not at him, but through him, as if he wasn't even there. The same way the stealth chameleon always stared at things.

But that particular blank stare seemed just a bit different. There was something about it that spoke to the crocodile. Something that said (in Espio's unheard words mind you, not Vector's- I'm sure the croc would want you to know):_ 'He's our friend, and no matter how forgetful and young, he deserves an apology. You were wrong Vector.'_

It took only a second or two until he finally broke, "Darn it ESPIO! What are you, a PSYCHIC?" He shouted, pointing out the very obvious fact that Espio was not even there for the fight and had no knowledge that his time of arrival was quite coincidental.

Charmy turned around with a cute chuckle and with an almost too innocent and friendly tone teased his friend, "I bet you can't even spell psychic."

Vector cringed at what to him sounded like a very taunting voice, "Neither can you!"

"So?" Charmy flew over to the two. "Hey Espio. When did you get here?"

The chameleon nodded, "A minute ago."

"Oh." His eyes seemed to widen, almost like a puppy dog's, which would seem strange considering he was an insect.

Vector sighed as his eyes fell to the young honey bee, "Urr...Charmy. I-I'm... S-Sorry. You were... R-Right. Espio had the paper."

"Huh?" A soft moment of quiet floated before the three when suddenly, "HA! SEE VECTOR! I TOLD YOU SO! HAHAHA!" The little bee was now in a fit of joyous laughter. Chips flew out of the bag he held like confetti. Proving Vector wrong was nothing really new, but it was funny every time. At least, to Charmy it was.

The small bee's laughter overlapped any curses that Vector had whispered. The crocodile sat back in his chair with a huff and turned his headphones up to the maximum volume.


	3. Decision

_Authors Note: This chapter is a much slower pace and I kind of felt that I just couldn't get it exactly how I wanted it to come out. Any advice here is much appreciated. The Chaotix are back in the next chapter so things pick up the pace again really soon.  
><em>

_Side Note: All characters in this story are owned by Sega._

Chapter 3: Decision

"Your kidding right?" The red echidna lowered his head in quiet thought. After a moment or two his violet eyes wandered back to the familiar blue hedgehog and orange kitsune that now stood before him.

Their surroundings were that of a vast sky of cerulean. Grass and rubble layered the wondrous ruin where they now resided known as Angel Island. Never again would it resemble the peace and tranquility once made obvious by its title so long ago. For now and all eternity it would remain a weathered floating island of slumbering sanctity, forever guarded by the one who was born to bare such a burden.

"Knuckles,"

"Huh?" His eyes went back to Tails, who had torn him from his thoughts.

He quickly realized that his young friend was now giving him a sweet friendly smile and a thumbs up, "If we work together it shouldn't take us too long to find that treasure! You are a master treasure hunter after all."

"Tsh, if you think I'm gonna go hunting for some stupid gold doubloons with you guys then you must be crazy."

Sonic crossed his arms and smirked as he pointed to Tails, "Yep, he's crazy alright, crazy like a-"

"-Sonic! This is no time to joke," Tails shouted as he rolled his eyes, "...Besides... I'm a kitsune. And this isn't some pirate treasure Knuckles!"

The Echidna stood to his feet and scoffed as he climbed the steps behind him towards the M.E. His head once again dropped in a bit of shame. "Look, I've finally got some peace and quiet after all of those other crazy adventures you guys have dragged me on. I just can't leave the Master Emerald again." He was just about to make his way up to the over-sized emerald when something grabbed his arm. "Huh," He turned to see Sonic.

"Hey, let go'uh me!" Knuckles struggled for a few seconds until his friend finally spoke.

"No way. Sorry buddy, but you're helping us whether ya want to or not."

"Listen," Knuckles yanked his arm out of Sonic's grip, "I can help you guys when you really need it, but this sounds more like a stupid game of cat and mouse to me. And anyway, if you guys think that finding some _spooky buried treasure _is seriously gonna help Eggman destroy the world then you need to stick to collecting the Chaos Emeralds and stop reading those lame old fairytale stories."

Sonic and Tails shared a glance then both shrugged.

The blue hedgehog sighed, "Are ya done with your little speech now?"

"No, I also think-"

"-Eh, don't do that, you'll hurt your head. ...So you'll help us then?" His cocky words seemed to only anger the echidna more, not surprisingly.

"Didn't you hear a word I just said?" He finally gave a frustrated shout. "...And besides, you guys have taken him on without me before. So instead of using me as a metal detector just let him find whatever gold your looking for then beat it outta him."

Tails frowned, "Knuckles, I told you this isn't just any old treasure. From what my sources indicate- if Eggman even just gets his hands on this, whatever exactly it is, for a second before we do then he could destroy the world! _...Again_."

Sonic rubbed his nose lightly, "Ya mean again again... But this time we might not be able to stop him once he does." Without warning his tone had switched from serious to somewhat playful. "But hey, we don't really need you Knuckle head. We just think that you're help might speed things up a bit."

"I'm not a stupid treasure hunter. Go ask Rouge to help you."

"Why do you always have to be so stubborn?" Sonic asked with an air of causality to his voice. He then turned around and headed back to the Tornado, "Come on Tails."

"But Sonic,"

"I said come on, we're leaving. Knuckles is right, we should go ask Rouge to help us, after all, she is a much better treasure hunter than Knuckles."

Tails' eyes widened a bit with realization at his friends reverse psychology ploy, "Uh, yeah. I forgot how much more skilled she is at hunting than Knuckles is." The kitsune began to walk over to his blue best friend.

Knuckles groaned as his eyes scanned the the vast sky before him, "I know what you guys are trying to do."

"Huh?" Sonic gave a fake expression of surprise, "Wha'daya mean?" He crossed his arms and stood in place.

The echidna rolled his eyes then looked from Sonic to Tails then back again to Sonic and sighed, "I guess it has been a while since we've put Eggman in his place."

"Yeah," Tails smiled, "It's been almost a whole two years." He lifted his fingers to a peace sign to make his point. Though his words seemed to do the trick. Hearing how many years had passed seemed to catch Knuckles attention.

Sonic nodded then continued for his friend, "Come on Knux, I know you're not that gullible anymore. You know as well as we do that Egghead has got to be up to something big to keep quiet for so long." He gave a slight tap of his foot against the fresh green grass.

With one final look to the Master Emerald then back to what only he would say was a _begging_ look in his friends' eyes, he gave them a nod then followed them to their bi-plane.


	4. Chaotic World

Authors Note: Longer chapter with insight from both groups. I might have gone overboard with the certain elements of explanation and strange additions to the actual plot so let me know what ya think. Constructive criticism/Reviews are very welcomed, I am totally willing to change some things up with any revisions anyone wants to throw at me.

Side Note: All characters in this story are owned by Sega.

Chapter 4: Chaotic World

"Okay," Vector inched behind the building. With his back against the cold brick walls he slowly sidled forward a few inches. "This is where we need ta be. Right Espio?" His words, spoken in a hushed tone.

"Right. I'll go get the brief case. Stay low." He gave a quick nod and within seconds the chameleon blended into scenery of the abandoned warehouse. His camouflaging skill was the groups best bet at object retrieval missions. That being the most important part of their newest client's current case.

When he was sure his friend had left the crocodile smiled to himself and gave a soft sigh of relief. Finally the crew had actually gotten another big paying job. And to double the excitement this one wasn't just some false lost kid alarm or another 'Geoffry Hawkson' Case.

Vector gulped at the very memory of the Hawkson case and whispered to himself, "I swear, if I have to ever put on a dress again..." He shook his head to wave the thought away and got back into Detective mode.

He surveyed his present surroundings once more until his sense of curiosity got to him and despite Espio's earlier warning to remain inconspicuous, the crocodile leaned against the corner of the wall and tilted his long snout over the side of it, trying to see if he could spot any trace of his stealthy friend.

He saw nothing. He heard nothing as well. His headphones were turned all the way down, in order for him to stay more alert. Though he could swear that through the white noise, he could almost hear a soft hum emitting from them. A hum that could only be described as some sort of James Bond theme.

He suddenly felt one with his inner spy. Sure he could never be as crafty and ninja-esque as his buddy Espio- Heck! That chameleon was born to be a ninja with a name like that.

But the thought crossed his mind- if only for a moment- that since he was such a skilled detective that he probably would not be that bad of a ninja or a spy. _'Maybe even a ninja spy_.' His eyes widened at his ridiculous train of thought and he shook his head again to clear his mind. "What's a matter with me? I think I've been spending too much time with Charmy now. And look at me sneakin' around, too much time with Espio too." And off his mind wandered again.

For a short while in the past Vector was unsure if the whole Detective Agency would last very long. He knew that without it though, he and his friends would have no place to go. The very thought of anything happening to his friends- no his family- he just couldn't even bare it. He wouldn't let it happen, nor would he show his worry to them as such. Instead he would act out his worry as impatience, sometimes anger, even ignorance, but he would never let it show as fear. Not to them as his comrades that saw him as their boss and never to them as his brothers who were the only family he had and visa versa.

After a moment passed he realized he was still peeking over the side of the wall. He immediately crept back fully behind the building with full reassurance that his friend had everything handled, however, something still lingered in his mind.

Something of pure quiet wonder that he pondered for a moment. It was something of-

"HEY VECTOR!"

"WAH!" He clasped his mouth shut to prevent any more noise and quickly turned around to see the small bee hovering towards him. "Dang it Charmy. Ya gotta be quiet." His whisper, filled with pure aggravation.

In a very hushed and barely audible fashion he lowered his voice as much as he could, _"Oh I forgot. I said, what's our mission again?"_. Which came out more like, "Ofot, whas ar miss gn?"

"You're whispering too low now. You know I can't hear ya."

With a roll of his eyes the small bee raised his hands to his mouth as a make-shift megaphone and readied himself to give a loud shout, but just as he opened his mouth he was suddenly interrupted by Espio.

"Got it." The chameleon lifted the old looking brief case. It was coated in a sepia hued layer of dust. He handed the case over to Vector with a knowing nod as his gaze shifted over to Charmy. The bee quickly let his hands fall from his lips, leaving a small sheepish grin.

"So, what's in the case?" Charmy now gleamed at it in curiosity.

"Who cares, we gotta get back to town and get it to our client before things get worse." Vector ran off, leading the group back to their destination.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Meanwhile on the other side of town...<em>**

"Okay. This is what we know so far..." Tails lifted a large red book onto the table, he had taken it with him from his workshop.

As they made their way into the city he still refused to tell Knuckles what was going on. _"I'll tell you when we get there."_ That was his only response, one that constantly caused the echidna to look over to Sonic to see if maybe he would explain it, but all he got on that end was a big smirk and a shrug.

Within a matter of minutes the trio had arrived at the Station Square Central Library. It seemed the library was quite busy that day, leaving one spare seat a short ways away from an equally empty table. After taking the seat, Tails set the rather large book down on the table causing a small thud. His fingers laced through a few pages then finally stopped.

Knuckles, who was in no mood to wait for an answer any longer, pushed Tails out of his seat and took his place. Violet eyes were now searching the pages thoroughly.

"Hey," The young fox brushed himself off as Sonic helped him up.

"Gee Knux, don't get too excited." His tone sarcastic, with a layered hint of irritation at the treatment of his best friend.

"Tails," Knuckles voice became hesitant for a moment as he continued to turning the pages impatiently, "I don't understand a word of this!". He gave a frustrated sigh and slumped back in his chair. Only becoming aware again when his friend began to speak.

"Well," Tails smiled as he gave a much gentler push to Knuckles' head, which in turn caught him off guard- causing him to fall out of the chair which Tails reclaimed as his own, "It's not really all in English. Some of it is in Arabic, Latin, and even Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics taken straight from the walls of the pyramids. They appear to have been re-written in their original logographic form even. It's so fascinating that these stories could really date back so far as-"

"Tails!" Sonic and Knuckles shouted, not willing to keep up with another history lesson filled rant.

"Um, sorry. What I mean to say is, this is a very important book. It's filled with different variations of all sorts of myths and wonders in tons of different cultures. Some we're familiar with-"

"Like Chaos," Sonic added, "and Chip- uh I mean Light Gaia."

"Mhm, not to mention it includes the studies of the Babylonian myths and even some demons I've never heard of before like Solaris the Sun God and legends of an evil book called the Dark Prognostics."

With a whistle of surprise Sonic lingered over his friend, staring at the book. "I still can't believe all of these legends were right here under our noses. This thing sure woulda come in handy way back when." He gave a shrug at the now skeptical look Tails was giving him.

"Yeah but then where would the fun of having a little challenge and adventure have gone?" He answered as if he was summoning Sonic's own words.

"Heh, you know me too well buddy."

Knuckles shook his head as he crossed his arms impatiently, "Come on guys, enough of that brotherly love stuff and just tell me which ancient beast Eggman wants to resurrect."

Tails glanced back down at the book for a moment then turned to the 50th page. "We aren't exactly sure of the name of the beast, it seems it can't be translated from any of the ancient texts and in English the name is left blank, but something tells me that it's presence could over power half of the other creatures I've read about already." His tone seemed to lower into a sense of eery foreboding.

"What makes you think that?"

"This one is the only creature that has a passage in nearly every ancient culture, unlike most which usually stick to only three or four re-occurring legends. According to my hand held translator this beast can only be summoned by finding it's treasure..."

"Which is?"

"The Primordial Chaos Spheres."

"So this... Whatever the heck it is, is related to the Chaos Emeralds?" Knuckles looked from Tails to Sonic, disbelief in his eyes. "This is insane. This is stupid."

"Looks like we called in the right guy for help then." Sonic smiled.

Knuckles and Tails rolled there eyes. "Knuckles," The fox looked at his defiant friend, "Your going to help us find these things, right?"

The echidna sighed for what must have been the hundredth time that day then nodded his head.

"Yeah I guess so. At least now I know the what. Still not exactly sure of the why."

Sonic and Tails shared a glance as Knuckles continued.

"All I need now is the how."

"The how?" Tails questioned.

Suddenly he went from calm to manic in a split second, "How the heck do you guys expect me to find this treasure? I'm in touch with the Master Emerald, not some random other mythical type of gem."

"Knuckles, I'm sure this...deity is born directly of Chaos. With an energy- "

"Spare me the weird details. I get it. So there should be some of that energy still in those Chaos Spheres," He rolled his eyes as the very sound of it, "and from that you think I can track the them down."

"Uh huh."

"Hm," The echidna closed his eyes and seemed to be pondering something. That of which neither of his friends could tell.

"Hey Knux, you okay?" Sonic walked up to his red furred friend and trying to read the curious look on his face. "Hello?" He waved his hand before closed eyes.

Suddenly, giving a bit of a fright to the hedgehog, Knuckles eyes opened wide in unison with his sharp fanged mouth, "WHY DIDN'T YOU GUYS SAY THAT BACK ON ANGEL ISLAND!" His friend's in a somewhat comical matter feel to the floor from the force of the yell.

Sonic sat up as he rubbed his head, "What in the he-"

"In order to sense these things bringing a Chaos Emerald or two might have helped! I find Master Emerald shards not the smaller gems."

"Take it easy will ya!" Sonic took his turn to shout. "We already are pretty sure the Chaos Spheres-"

"Primordial Chaos Spheres." Tails corrected.

"That too," He gave his friend an annoyed look. "We're sure these things are somewhere buried under this city."

"On the other side of town I think." Tails added.

"What, did your translator tell you that?" Knuckles shook his head. "Look, fine whatever- long as Eggman doesn't know that then we don't have to rush. But as long as you want me to help we're getting this done as soon as we can, got it."

With a nod from both and a sudden random lecture from the librarian about proper library etiquette- mostly about keeping quiet, the three took off as soon as they could. Little did they know that where they were headed another group of three were racing to get there as well as another unseen character.


	5. Nice Meeting You

Authors Note: Finally have a new chapter up! Sorry for the wait. Thanks Animanizanny, Fiction Expansion, and MonstaHunta for your reviews/critiques which have all been cherished and duly noted ;)

This chapter is a bit different and probably a little confusing ^_^; Sorry but come next chapter a lot of questions are going to get some strange answers!

Constructive criticism/Reviews are awesome!

Side Note: All characters in this story are owned by Sega.

Chapter 5: Nice Meeting You

The world around them seemed to disappear as they ran through busy streets and quickly made it to the center of town.

Now, they were walking along the pavement on an abandoned street. The sun, resting high above giving little way to see the white-blue shade the sky had taken on. "So where do we go now?"

"I told you Charmy," Vector looked back to his friend as they came to a stop. "We just gotta wait here until he shows up."

"That's stupid!"

"It's not stupid its-"

"Quiet." Espio interrupted.

"Huh?" Charmy and Vector turned to their friend who seemed to be surveying the area.

Vector paused for a moment then couldn't help but question the fighting stance his friend now took on, "What'sa matter Espio?"

"We're being watched." He kept on the look out, not even bothering to make eye contact as he spoke.

"By who?" Charmy flew over to the chameleon, his tone overly joyful as usual.

"Hm," After a moment he regained his composure and hid his throwing stars once more. "It seems they're gone." He hesitated then stared foreword, beyond his friends.

"What the heck are you-"

Vector was quickly cut off by a deep and haunting voice, "-So you did it."

"Whoa, this is our client?" Charmy tilted his head in question.

"Sure sounds like it." Vector nodded.

"I thought were weren't going to take anymore clients by phone?" Espio quietly chimed in.

"Well," The croc leaned into a whisper, "I checked out our client this time, although I gotta admit- he looks a lot shadier than I expected." He then turned his attention back to the man as his friends eyed him curiously.

The stranger was covered in a long black coat, it seemed to sparkle in the mid-day sunlight. It was as if he was attending a funeral at a disco. Such odd attire. A long dark hat veiled his face as he spoke, "You have the brief case don't you?"

With a nod of his head the crocodile grabbed the case from the floor and gave it a good look with a soft moan of question to himself.

"Something wrong?" The coated man asked.

"Urr... Uh... I do I know that I can trust the story ya told me. I remember you sayin' ya needed our help and that it was urgent, but how do I know you're not really a criminal?"

"Whaaat?" He seemed to catch the man off guard. "What do you mean? I am no criminal. I'm the one who is here to aid you."

Vector titled his head, as did his friends in a humorously similar manner. "Aid... Us?" He held the brief case closer to his chest.

"Yes, but I first need that case."

"Fine," He gave a nod, "But tell me exactly what ya need these so called 'manuscripts' for. Deal's a deal, right?"

Charmy and Espio's eyes widened as they shared a glance. "Deal?" The chameleon started, "What do you mean Vector?"

He went ignored as the mysterious man spoke again. A smile laced in his tone, "How did you know I hadn't told you the whole truth?"

"I'm a detective. I always know." The croc crossed his arms, a smug smile of his own appearing.

"Just as well, perhaps being more direct with you will make things easier for me." He nodded.

* * *

><p><strong>Not too far off from the Chaotix's current location...<strong>

"Ya know," Tails began, now holding his handheld translator, "I still can't get over the whole name issue."

"Who cares," Knuckles shook his head, "Long as we don't have to see this creature then what does its name matter?"

"Hm, I just... I'm still trying to configure this thing..." He pushed a few buttons on the gadget causing it to clink and emit a loud high pitched squeal.

"Whoa," Sonic slowed his already, according to him, too slow walking pace to fall back to the fox's, "What's up with your translator pal?"

"I...I don't know...It must be on the fritz," He gave it a small hit to the side then continued, "because now...wait-it's deciphering some of those names- but...they look so- wait a minute! Here they are." He proudly proclaimed.

He then began to read them out loud, "Naunet, Profundum, Abismo," He raised an eyebrow, "Bezdibenis, Sangat Dalam, Bezdan-"

"Hey," Sonic waved a hand before his friend, "This is no time to show off your multilingual talents Tails."

The fox rolled his eyes.

"What's your point anyway?" Knuckles covered the screen of the translator with his palm, staring at his friend intently.

"My point is... These are all translations of their ancient counterparts made present day..." He glanced from Sonic to Knuckles then gave a sigh of defeat, "Well, all of these names mean abyss."

Sonic smirked as he raised his hands in a wobbly manner, "OoOo... Ayss. Sounds real scary." He nearly chuckled. "But that still doesn't explain why the name was left blank in the English version of the story."

"Tuh," Knuckles crossed his arms, "All of that no-name worry stuff for nothing. And all you got out of that was a stupid useless name."

"I think you guys might be underestimating this creature," Tails scolded, "But your right Sonic, I still don't know why the name is blank for that one."

Sonic shook his head, "So why couldn't your translator get such a small word like that right in the first place?"

"It was trying to take it as just a name and Abyss wasn't in the data block for it though so it must of froze up. What a dumb mistake." His eyes angrily scanned the gadget once more as he shook his head, "No, something else must have messed with it." He hit it again, "I know that if it couldn't have found the name it would have ran a full search rather than a specific name search."

"Riiiight." The hedgehog gave a nod. As the trio continued onward.

* * *

><p>"Talk about a total freak-o." Charmy shook his head as he watched their client walk off in the distance. They said to call him 'Cat' though they knew it wasn't his real name.<p>

_It did beg one question though- was he really a cat under that dark get-up?_

Vector grinned, "At least we know a little something about whats goin' on around here." He looked to the case, "I still can't believe we went through all of that just for him to tell us to keep this thing though." Vector frowned as he swayed the case in the air, nearly smacking Charmy down.

Luckily the bee dodged it in time and grabbed a hold of it. "Yeah and telling us that we can't open it. It's just some dumb menu scripts in there. Why are they so important?" He began trying to pry it open.

"Ya mean manuscripts," He smiled at the silly young bee, " And it's completely locked buddy, good luck tearin' yer hands up tryin' ta open it."

"Team Chaotix?"

"Wha?" The group turned their attention to the blue blur that was now walking towards them with his own buddies.

"Hmph, looks like we have company fellas." Vector turned to Charmy and Espio shaking his head.

Charmy immediately took the initiative and flew over to the blue hedgehog, "Why are you guys here? Are you looking for the treasure too?"

Team Sonic all shared the same wide eyed expression as they repeated in questioning union, "Treasure?"

"How do you guys know about it?" Knuckles frowned.

The echidna knew Team Chaotix pretty well and might have figured they would take interest in some kind of mystery, but he was sure that this oddity was a bit out of their league.


	6. Combination

**Authors Note:** It's been a long time, I'm sorry :( But other than being busy with other things I was also perfecting the plot as a whole just for you guys! I still love all of you great readers and even better reviewers! ^_^ Yes I play favorites ;)

I'm super psyched it's the weekend and I finally have this chapter finished! Not to mention I already have a full bulky outline for the next one this time! :D

I've never played Knuckles' Chaotix but I know quite a bit about it. As far as this story goes the events of that game took place in some form- mostly for reference purposes. Anyway if I made any mistakes feel free to point that out so I can fix it. Read, Review, tell me what ya think.

**Side Note:** I don't own these guys Sega does. (Are these really even necessary? Eh, either way writing it makes me feel more fanfic author official XD)

**Chapter 6: Combination**

"Lucky for you guys, it's not really a long story." Vector smiled.

"And it sounds really cool too!" Charmy nearly sung with glee.

"They know about it too obviously." The crocodile argued.

"Yeah but they don't know what we know, right?" He turned to Sonic's team who seemed to be confused.

Knuckles groaned, "Can you guys just tell us whatever it was that you heard?"

Espio stepped foreword, "It's about what's inside this," He lifted the briefcase.

"Manuscripts," Vector nodded. "Ya see, earlier this morning I got a call from a new client. Told me his name was Cat. He said that someone stole his briefcase. A matter of life and death he called it."

Sonic tilted his head in feigned curiosity and a chuckle, "This _Cat... _He wasn't purple was he?"

Espio shook his head, "From his voice we know that it's not anybody we've ever met before."

Vector laughed, "Especially not Big, if that's what yur tryin' ta say."

"That's for sure." Charmy nodded. "This guy was tall and thin and sounded really creepy."

Espio continued, "We never saw his face. It was covered by his hat." He motioned to his head as if he were slyly tipping an invisible fedora to cover his eyes.

"Okay so what exactly did he say to you guys?" Sonic asked the crocodile.

"He said that we were the only ones who could help him. When he told me about the 'scripts he mentioned that there were ancient writings about the chaos emeralds on 'em and right then I knew he was lyin'."

The crocodile laughed as he crossed his arms, "Even Charmy knows that the legend of Chaos was passed down by word-of-mouth, along with the actual emeralds themselves. There's no manuscripts for those." He looked to Knuckles who nodded.

"But I was curious so I took the case and played dumb anyway." he paused and turned to Charmy, "Don't say a word."

The bee covered his mouth with both hands and shook his head.

Vector continued, "After we gave 'im the case he told us that the manuscripts would lead us to the location of some new kinda emeralds that we need to find and bring together. He made it sound like these things could tear straight through the universe." He chuckled with doubt.

"Yeah," Tails smiled, "The Primordial Chaos Spheres, right?"

Sonic shook his head, "Can we just stick to callin' 'em the Chaos Spheres for convenience?"

"Fine, the Chaos Spheres... But they shouldn't be brought together, just kept out of Eggman's hands." The fox nodded.

Espio looked to Vector, "You don't think Cat was lying to us, do you?"

"Hm," The crocodile held his head in thought.

Tails smiled, "Don't worry, it doesn't matter right now, as long as we get to those Chaos Spheres first. There should be either three or four of them I think," he looked to his handheld device and gave it a soft shake, "No...maybe five... Uh..."

"What's going on now?" Knuckles held his head in annoyance.

"I-I don't know," He gently hit the gadget and finally it squeaked with glee, "Ah, okay...so there's...an...indefinite amount." He gave a sheepish grin as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Shoot," Sonic sighed, "If there's a lot- then maybe this was what Eggman was doing with all of that free time, collecting."

"But that's not right," Vector waved his hand, "Cat told us that they were buried in five different countries and that there were ten of 'em."

"He may have deceived you more than just a little-" Tails froze at the sight of his translators screen then lowered his voice in innocent defeat. "No way, I-I can't believe this."

He frowned as he shook his head. "Even my own creation is on your side." He held up the gadget, "Then again, it's kind of all over the place."

Sonic walked over to his friend and glanced at the handheld device. "I know that only a few of your machines have the tendency to have small flaws Tails, but this one is getting a little redundant."

The fox ignored his friend and looked to Vector, "Well, looks like you guys are our best bet now."

Knuckles raised an eyebrow, "Your just gonna let them take the lead?"

"Knuckles," Tails began, "When we first started this adventure Sonic and I thought that there was a small stash of very important treasure somewhere in this city beneath the ground. How much of that is accurate right now according to this?"

He showed the echidna how his electronic device now stated that there were an **indefinite** **number **of Spheres hidden throughout the **world**.

He continued, "This is all gibberish, the only thing we all are sure of is that there was something strange about the man the Chaotix met with and usually the strange path leads us straight to the the goal post. I think we should check out these other countries. Maybe this will end up like just another chaos emerald search."

Knuckles shook his head. "I seriously doubt that."

"We should split up," Espio looked around the group. "In pairs of two. And each pair should be assigned a country."

"Okay," Tails nodded, "Great idea. I'll go with Sonic." He smiled as he looked to his friend, who gave an affectionate ruffle to the fox's hair.

Vector brightly agreed to the idea, "Alright... Espio and me can be a team." He turned to see Knuckles, "That leaves you with our pal Charmy." He grabbed the bee floating next to him in a one arm hug. An almost taunting grin laced his cheer.

Charmy laughed with glee, "Awesome! This'll be just like that other time when we helped Knuckles!"

Vector let go of his comrade and nodded, "That was a pretty long time ago Charmy."

"Hey!" Knuckles shouted, "_I_ helped you guys, _you _didn't-"

"-Yeah! Only Mighty isn't here this time." The bee interrupted as he grimly looked at the ground, "...I wonder what happened to him."

"Don't you remember?" Vector smiled, "Mighty said that he was going to-"

Charmy quickly cut him off, "Yeah yeah yeah! I remember now! Don't start telling me a story, it's not my bedtime yet."

The crocodile laughed. "...Boy we sure got some good publicity out of that mess didn't we?"

Espio agreed, "Let's hope we can get more business again once we solve this case." He held up the briefcase.

"Haha!" Charmy giggled as he needlessly explained, "I get it! It's two different kinds of cases!"

Espio's eyes widened from the realization of his unintended pun.

Vector grinned, "Hey, no sayin' that you're sixteen to the reporters again Charmy. Those morons 'ill believe anything!"

"Hahaha! I still can't believe that they bought it! ...I'm just an abnormally short teenager!" He shouted as he laughed some more.

Espio sighed, "Why would you tell them that?"

"Because it was funny!"

* * *

><p>In the background of the ongoing madness Sonic whispered to Tails, "When did this show turn into the Crazy Chaotix Hour?"<p>

The young fox shook his head with a bland shrug.

* * *

><p>Chewing on his gum, Vector blew a bubble with it in amusement, watching as it popped at the softest touch of his sharp teeth, "Where did you here a word like abnormally anyway?" He lazily asked.<p>

"I heard Espio say it once I think."

"Yeah, ya probably don't even know what it means."

"Oh and you do?" Charmy crossed his arms.

Espio shook his head at his now bickering friends.

"Uh," Knuckles looked to Sonic and Tails, "I think we should really just keep it as two teams of three."

Upon hearing Knuckles suggestion the young bee smiled brightly as he flew over to his grumpy friend, "Remember Knuckles, there's no 'I' in team!" He lightly scolded.

Vector pushed the honey bee out of the way and nodded, "Yeah, but there's an I in Chaotix and I'm the leader of the group so what I say goes." He gave an authoritative wink. "Espio's idea was perfect so were splitin' in teams of two, got it?"

The red echidna sighed and sank in his doubts as he calmly whispered to himself, "I should just go back to the Island now."


	7. From Party To Party

_**A/N: **Thank you for being so patient you guys! This story may not have many reviewers but quality is way better than quantity and you guys are total proof of that :) _

_I hope this chapter is of a nice length- though this chapter is basically a bit of an intro to how each team interacts, not super adventure-y yet but I'm working out how I want these guys to be so bare with me for a little bit :)_

_These guys belong to Sega. I did however come up with these three 'levels'/countries each team is at.  
><em>

**Chapter 7: From Party To Party**

The sinking splinter of feverish heat attached itself to the only lone breeze that shifted through the dusty sand filled air. The day grew long for Sonic and Tails as they made their way through the Egyptian-like ruins.

"Of course we get stuck with Desert Hill Zone over here." His sarcasm bleed into his made up name of this new territory.

The hedgehog glanced at his friend who seemed more than a little busy with his own 'technical' issues.

Sonic slowed his walk, much to his chagrin, to match his fox friend's slow pace. "So whats up with this thing anyway? Didn't it used to look...different?" He snatched the small handheld device/translator from his friend.

Tails nodded as he grabbed the gadget back with a smile. "Its still pretty bulky but now its thinner length wise. I've also kinda programmed it to be like a portable computer device of sorts."

He rubbed his thumb over the screen to rid it of a small smudge then continued, "But like I said before, every search is separated by category- from translations to full ancient studies and even scientific and bio-mechanical research...mostly just- you know,"

Trying to avoid this rather boring conversation from taking full form the blue hedgehog went with the simple answer, "Smart kid stuff?"

"Uh," Tails gave a modest grin as he rubbed the back of his head, "Kind of...I guess."

Sonic quickly snatched the gadget back, "And whats it called again?"

The fox sighed, giving up trying to keep the device from his friend, "It's called the Miles Electric."

"Hm?"

"What?"

The blue hedgehog chuckled then went on with a mocking but playful tone, "I thought you didn't like your first name? Not to mention the acronym for Miles Electric- ME along with naming it after yourself in the first place- is frankly kinda arrogant,"

He snickered as he gave Tails back his handheld, "A little too egotistical for you buddy, that's usually my way of namin' stuff isn't it?" He grinned. "_Miles Electric_ sounds more like some kind of electric company anyway."

"Ha ha," The kitsune smiled, "Very funny," He looked the gadget up and down then made his decision, "It's the TME... **The** Miles Electric."

"Nah. It's gotta spell something real like... Terrific Index Miles Electric- TIME." He nodded.

"Okay... But it doesn't keep time so that...doesn't really match up... Hm... Oh! How about the Modern Index: Miles Electric!"

"MIME?" Sonic's eyes widened as he tried to stifle a laugh.

Tails chuckled at the thought then the two shook their heads, "Nah."

The fox smiled, "Ha, how about this one: Advanced Contemporary Miles Electric." He slowed at his realization, "...ACME."

"I don't think we're allowed to use that one buddy." Sonic rubbed the ridge of his nose.

Tails sighed, "The Miles Electric 2?"

"ME2... Not the best, but I guess that works for now."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, somewhere in a large gloomy forested region not too vastly different or far off from Adabat...<p>

"Hey, look at that thing! Maybe it's one of those sphere thingys." Charmy shouted as he rushed past Knuckles in a hurry.

The echidna sighed as the bee continued.

"Oh, It's just a round rock, never mind."

Knuckles expression was now a grimace, teeth clenched. He bald his fists in frustration as he palely called his current companion's name. "Charmy."

"Yeah?"

Something about the little honey bee's voice was beginning to grate. If ever there was a kid more annoying than this one...

"What is it Knuckles? What'do ya want?"

"What I want is for you to stop getting so easily distracted."

"I'm not easily destra-" He paused for a moment as his eyes went to a nearby flower. He was only brought back to attention by the sound of Knuckles' groan, "Sorry. But I'm just being intestigative!" He announced proudly.

"In_vest_igative?" He rolled his eyes as his patience wore even thinner.

"Yeah! I'm a detective Knuckles! I always tell vector it would be smart to buy me, him, and Espio some of those neat trench coats and those cool hats so people will be able to tell easier, but he never does. Talk about not fair, right?"

Knuckles was about to respond when he was cut off by a ghoulish howl coming from the trees. He quickly turned, eyes scanning the area.

However, even if there was something present it would be quite hard to see given the severity of their misty almost swampy surroundings.

"What was that?"

"I...don't know. It was probably nothing. Just, come on let's keep going."

Charmy stared at the trees as Knuckles walked passed him. He nervously nodded and followed the echidna.

"Boy, this place is kinda spooky. B-But I'm not scared at all."

"Let's just find this Chaos Sphere and get out of here alright?"

"Why are you being so grumpy Knux?"

"Do NOT call me Knux."

"Wow, grumpier than I though. Don't be so upset, this adventure will be fun- all of us searching for these cool new glowy sphere things. Haha, you and your friends were lucky you came to us for help!"

The echidna would have argued the fact of who was helping who but felt too drained to fight it. Instead he let out a long overdue sigh as he decided he would try and focus on the sounds around them to be sure whatever made the howl was not tracking them.

A small smidge of wonder as to why Knuckles was in such a terrifically bad mood lingered in the honey bee's mind.

Nonetheless he kept going with his attempts to lighten the mood, "Yeah you guys made the right choice. We're detectives you want on your side!" He chuckled.

* * *

><p>The crocodile's smile beamed of dependable righteousness, "Our directive's tracking down this crime." He nodded to Espio, who suddenly seemed as though he wanted to say something.<p>

Vector smiled at their newest client, a kind elderly woman, and asked politely for a moment of discussion with his partner.

The stealth sleuths turned and spoke in whispered tones, "What's a matter Espio?"

"We can't just keep taking on all of these clients Vector. We're stepping off track from our current mission that is of world importance."

"Look, the lady was robbed by some guy who ran off into this... Tourist town? Or whatever," he shook his head trying to think of what Tails said the real name of the town they had to go to was called. "We're headin' there anyway so we might as well help her."

Espio nodded reluctantly. Side missions were one thing but he knew Vector well enough to suspect that the croc might get a little too sidetracked at just the wrong moment.

The older woman smiled hopefully, "Oh thank you so much deary. I wont be able to pay you much but...I'll give you what money I have left."

Vector heard the worry and looming sorrow behind the woman's words. He knew that this poor lady was probably living in sub-par conditions anyway. Her dress a rusty potato sack color made from the material to match. Her eyes were old and foggy.

Out for a simple walk only to have her purse stolen... _'What is this crazy world coming to when people rob from the poor and the elderly?'_

The crocodile sighed, "Don't worry ma'am. That won't be necessary."

"Vector." Espio whispered but the crocodile merely waved his words off.

"Oh, no...but I have to pay you back if you do indeed retrieve my purse."

"Don't you worry about that at all ma'am."

"Oh please, call me Cindy." She extended her hand, "It's short for Cynthia." Her smile- uncomfortably enough was a bit flirty.

"Okay," Vector shook her hand quickly, "Well, we should be heading off now."

"Alright, my house is just up the road. I'll be there if you need me." She winked.

"Urr, yes ma'am- I mean Cindy." Then with a kind nod Vector and Espio ran off towards the town.

"Vector," Espio started, "We cant keep taking cases for free. I understand being charitable but well be the ones needing the charity soon."

"I know that, Espio. But this is obviously a classic case of 'She was rich all along and will give us a better reward thanks to our kindness and bravery'." He smiled his toothy grin in a somewhat cocky manner.

"Uh," Espio hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to say. _'Perhaps Charmy was right about how much time Vector spends in his own little world.'_

"Hey, you look like you got somethin' smart-alack-y to say."

"Huh... No," He shook his head, "Just wondering what lead you to the conclusion that she was actually rich?"

Vector titled his head in thought, he wanted to say that he was simply hoping that that was the case- oh, how his luck and true brilliance would shine if it were true.

But instead of saying all of that, "I just know alright." He demanded.


End file.
